Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-17
THE SHARON SUIT.
The Celebrated Case About To Be
Finally Disposed Of-Checkered =.
Career Of All, Concerned.
7he Blight That Has Fallen On Many of
the Leading Observation-Disclosures Dies
Pauper-Piaintiff's Marriage.
San Francisco Letter,

1t is now three years since the famou:
Sharon divorce case WAS ended in this
city with q decision in favor of the plain.
court declared that the order for alimony
and council fees was appealsble. Now,
after all these wears, the Supreme court,
which like the mills of the gods, griuds
slowly, but not always exceedingly fine,
is hearing this argument on appeal. The
argument will not be ended until the 18th
of this month, when the most celebrated
case in the annals of the California courts
will probably be ended forever. In these
years since the case has been in the
courts many changes have occurred in
the fortunes of the chief actors, and O
brief sketch OF these may not be uninter-
esting.
THE CASE IN NUTSHELL.
The divorce case Of Miss Sarah Althea
Hill against ex-senator Sharon was &C.
tually begun on February 10, 1884. The
trial consumed seven months; the testi-
mony filed fifteen big folio volumes, in
addition to which there were several
volumes filed with Photographic copies
of the famous marriage contract and of
Althea and the ex-senator. The plaintiffs
case in a sentence is this: She went to
Sharon in 1880 TO get points on stocks,
having $500 in cash, he fell IN love with
| her; tried to make her his mistress; fail
ed in this; drew up marriage contract,
which he signed and gave to her, stipu-
lsting that the marriage be kept secret for
two years; she fulfilled all the functions
Of wife till Just before the trial
began; she often demanded recognition
as wife, but failing in this, began snit.
Her main reliance was the marriage con-
tract, which some of the
best experts in chirography
pronounced genuine. Sharon's case in
brief was this: That he met the woman;
was smitten with her physical charms;
made her his mistress; finally tired OF her
snd paid her $500 as 8 quit claim. He
swore that the marriage contract was a
forgery, and he produced hslt score of
experts to demonstrate that 1t was spuri-
Gus.
AN EXTRAORDINARY LEGAL SHOW.
While the trial was going on for seven
long months in Judge Sullivan's court,
no theatre in the city could produce an
entertainment that could rival the show
in that court room. On both sides per-
feet menagerie OF witnesses was called.
Sarah Althea summoned dressmakers, wait
ers, soothsayers, clairvoyante, negro mid
wives and near and distant acquaintances,
to prove her story. Sharon introduced an
equally miscellaneous lot of witnesses.
Nothing more absurd was ever revealed
in court room than the steps which
Sarah Althea took to secure the love Of
the ex-senator. She Tansscked China
town and the hsunts of clairvoYants to
secure potent charms for this purpose.
She wore pair OF the eX-Senator's socks
and bit of his undershirt next to her
skin in the hope of making him love her,
and she capped the climax of her exploits
by putting some pieces of his intimate
under garments in new-made grave
charm which she had obtained from one
of her clairvoyant advisers. The weak
ness of her case, outside of the marriage
contract, lay in the shabby character of
her witnesses. A long trail of perjury
was over most Of them. Several of her
chief witnesses abandoned her during the
trial and went over to the Sharon side.
Among these was her most intimate
friend, young girl named Nelly Brackett,
who after giving strong testimony for
Sarah turned about and told remarkable
story Of the ingenious manufacture of the
marriage contract. Still, when all the
testimony was in and the lawyers began
TO sum up public opinion was about
equally divided in regard to the merits Of
the case. Counsel took altoge Their two
weeks in telling the judge what he had
heard during six weary months and
giving him their ideas of the law.
The judge took three months to read
the serial story OF the case in fifteen folio
volumes Then on the day before Christ
mas, 1884, he delivered his decision. It
was intended for holiday gift to Sarah.
The decision declared that the marriage
contract was valid; gave the plaintiff a
decree of divorce and half the common
property. Two months afterwards he
made supplemental decision, giving
Sarah So, 800 a month and $500 back
alimony and $4,000 counsel fees. She
naturally felt elSted over these decisions,
but she never handled any of the coin.
Sharon's lawyers secured stay of judg-
ment and then the appeal case came on,
which is just now drawing to close. Old
Sharon WAS wrought into white heat of
rage by Judge Sullivan's decision. He
took mighty oath that never should she
touch cent Of his money, even If he had
to spend all his millions in the effort to
prevent her. But the decision was fatal
to him. The rage and worry which it
caused aggravated complaints from which
he had been suffering for years, and
brought him to his grave.
EX-SENATOR SHARON DIES PAUPRR.
Although he wss known to be worth
any where from $S,O00,000 to 100000
he left property behind him vslued at
about $3.50. All the remainder Of his
vast estate ne transferred to his son and
his son-in-lsw, in trust for his grand
children, several months before his death.
This was to prevent Sarah Althea from
getting any possible grip on his estate.
His dying Injunction to his relatives was
to spare no money in fighting the woman
who had clouded his last years. One be-
quest made in this trust deed which
promises to keep his memory green WAS
$4,000 for children's playground and
playhouse in Golden Gate park. 1t is
about the only good act OF his life of
which the public has any knowledge.
Unlike her antagonist, Sarah Althea
seemed to grow younger under the ex-
element OF the long legal fight. She
never looked younger than she did on the
day when the decision was rendered in